Auto Meter Products launched a new meter at SEMA focused on saving gas, money and improve emissions with the introduction of the econometer. This fuel-consumption gauge is designed to help drivers visually monitor their driving style and show how it impacts fuel economy.

“There are many studies that indicate the quickest and cheapest thing that we can all do to improve the fuel economy of the vehicles that we are currently driving is to drive them more responsibly,” says Jeff King, Auto Meter President and CEO.

The econometer easily taps into a vehicle’s computer system through the OBD port, which is port that is standard equipment on all cars sold in America since 1996. The meter installs without needing tools or drilling, and Auto Meter says it is designed to mount anywhere.

“The economter is easy to install, can be mounted anywhere in your vehicle, and has an innovative E-Z View dial face that can be rotated 350 degrees for proper alignment anywhere in your car,” King says. “The econometer has a single wire that runs from the gauge to your car’s OBD port, which is located under the driver-side dashboard. It literally takes 30 seconds to install this product.”

The eceonometer displays real-time fuel consumption in MPG on both the digital numeric display and a always-on color-coded eco-graph. The graph is useful because it color codes driver efficiency by show efficient driving (green), could improve efficiency (yellow) and are driving inefficient (red). There are also multiple modes that include MPG, average MPG, Engine Load (essentially a tachometer) and Speed (miles per hour).

Overall, the unit is designed to provide a simple-to-use and easy-to-install way to drivers to monitor and improve their driving habits. Auto Meter says the suggested retail price of the econometer is $69.99 and will be available in January of 2009.